AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Canine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food,
pursuant to her answer of 26 April, Official Report, column 92, what
reports she has received of unconfirmed cases of spongiform
encephalopathies in canines.

Mr. Soames : Since November 1986 41 brains from canines in Great
Britain with signs of neurological disease have been submitted to the
Ministry. None of these has been identified as being affected by a
spongiform encephalopathy on laboratory examination.

We are also aware of on-going investigations into a single, unconfirmed
case overseas. However, I am not in a position to provide further details,
as the information was passed on in confidence.

Fisheries

Mr. William Ross : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Food if he will list for each member country of the EC the number of
fishing vessels, the total quota of fish by species of each country, the
fishing capacity of each country as a percentage of their quota, the number
of fisheries inspected and the number of fishing protection vessels and
aircraft employed.

Mr. Jack : As regards the number of fishing vessels, I refer the
hon. Member to the multi-annual guidance programme of each member state as
set out in Commission decisions 92/588/EEC to 92/598/EEC, as amended and,
as regards quotas, to regulation 3676/93. These documents are in the
Library of the House. It would be misleading to compare total capacity and
total quota, but the multi-annual guidance programmes do give a broad
indication of the reductions needed to bring national fleets into better
balance with the stocks they fish. The most recent information available
about fisheries inspected and the number of fishing protection vessels and
aircraft employed by each member state is in the Commission report on
monitoring implementation of the common fisheries policy, published in
1992. This document, which is also in the Library of the House, contains
information about inspections carried out during 1990 and about member
states' enforcement resources. As from 1995, the Commission will be
publishing an annual report on the enforcement activities of member states
under the provisions of the new fisheries control regulation, Council
regulation 2847/93, which came into operation on 1 January this year.

Animal Slaughter (Costs)

Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
what arrangements she will be making to reduce the costs on the meat
slaughtering industry ; and

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what consideration she has given to (a)
withdrawing the burden of veterinary supervision or (b) directly
reimbursing veterinary costs.

Mr. Soames : The Government's policy is that the cost of the meat
inspection service should be recovered from the industry. We have taken a
number of steps to minimise costs, including in particular the introduction
in mid-1993 of an upper limit on local authority charges. We have developed
in consultation with the industry a hygiene assessment system, the results
of which will help local authorities to ensure that supervision effort is
targeted at the plants which present the greatest risk. We have no plans to
withdraw the requirement for veterinary supervision, which is a fundamental
element of the European single market legislation.

The new meat hygiene service, due to be launched in April 1995 to take over
responsibility for meat hygiene enforcement, will be required to meet
demanding financial and management targets to ensure that it delivers a
cost-effective service.

Fishing (Conservation)

Mr. Wallace : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
on how many occasions since the decision in December 1993 to suspend the
operation of the Sea Fisheries (Conservation) Act 1992 she or the Minister
of State has met representatives of the fishing industry to discuss
alternative conservation strategies ; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : I have had various contacts with the industry since
December 1993. Ministry and Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland
officials met the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and
representatives of the Northern Ireland Industry on 8 March to examine
their technical conservation proposals in detail, and there was a meeting
with the Commission services on 5 April.

Mr. Wallace : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
what arrangements are in place for the setting up of appeals tribunals
under the Sea Fisheries (Conservation) Act 1992 ; and how many departmental
officials and staff were engaged in work related to the setting up of these
tribunals on 1 April.

Mr. Jack : Work on the Sea Fish Licence Tribunal has been suspended,
and no staff were engaged on this work on 1 April 1994.

Beef

Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
what evidence she has of damage to the export of British foodstuffs to
Germany by the stance of the German Government towards British beef.

export survey statistics, beef exports to
Germany declined from just under 2,500 tonnes in 1992 to 900 tonnes in
1993. So far in 1994, exports are running at an annualised rate of 300-400
tonnes. In addition, individual companies have given me reports of lost or
threatened business for beef and other meats. The promotion of other
British products has also been affected.

I have made the European Commission aware of these effects, which amount to
an unjustified trade barrier against British goods in the single market.

Fisheries Management

Mr. Wallace : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
whether Her Majesty's Government intend to propose or introduce effort
limitation in respect of United Kingdom-registered vessels currently
entitled to fish in the Irish sensitive zone.

Mr. Jack [holding answer 3 May 1994] : It is the
responsibility of the Commission, and not individual member states, to
bring forward proposals, by 1 June 1994, for the Community arrangements
which will, inter alia, replace the sensitive zone of the Irish box when
current provisions expire on 31 December 1995. The regulation concerned
specifies that these arrangements must provide for close monitoring of the
development of fishing effort deployed and of the state of resources in
order that the necessary measures may be taken, where appropriate, to
preserve the balance.

Mr. Wallace : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
what fisheries management arrangements were proposed by her Department at
the most recent meeting of the European Commission's working group dealing
with the fisheries implications of Spanish accession.

Mr. Jack [holding answer 3 May 1994] : The implications of
the review of the Spanish and Portuguese accession arrangements for
fisheries will be the subject of proposals to be made by the Commission by
1 June 1994, for subsequent discussion in Council and decision by the
Council itself before 1 January 1995.

Lamb and Sheep Exports

Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
what tonnage of domestically reared lamb and sheep was exported for each
year since 1979 ; to which countries ; and in what form.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard [holding answer 26 April 1994] : Export
data specifically referring to domestically reared lamb and sheep are not
available. Total exports of lamb and sheep from the United Kingdom, by
destination and form, for years 1979 to 1993, are shown in the following
table.

LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

Official Entertainment

Mr. Boyes : To ask the Lord President of the Council what was the
total cost of official entertaining in his office in each year since 1990-
91 ; if he will list the receptions held in each year at his office's
expense ; and what was the cost of each reception.

Mr. Newton : The cost of official entertainment in the Privy Council
Office in 1992-93 was £9,776, and in 1993-94 £9,892. Figures for
previous years were not recorded. Expenditure on hospitality is, however,
included within the running cost expenditure for my Department which is
published each year in the annual report. Expenditure on entertainment
covers a variety of functions, including receptions. Details of the
expenditure attributable to particular functions could not be provided
except at disproportionate cost.

Bolton Institute of Higher Education

Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Lord President of the Council when he
intends to announce his decision on the application by Bolton Institute of
Higher Education in May 1993 for research degree awarding powers under the
procedures and criteria formulated by the Higher Education Quality Council.

Mr. Newton : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon.
Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham) on 3 May, Official
Report, column 460.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Lord President of the Council how many
parliamentary questions to his Department have not been answered because of
disproportionate costs or because the information requested was not held
centrally over the last five years ; how many could be answered now due to
computerisation and/or more effective operational systems ; and if he will
list each such question along with the name and constituency of the hon.
Member who tabled it.

Mr. Newton : I and my predecessors have answered more than 900
questions, of which 1.7 per cent. have not

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been answered because of disproportionate
costs or because the information requested was not held centrally.
Information on how many of these questions could now be answered and
details of the questions and the hon. Member who tabled them could be
obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Lord President of the Council what
plans he has to ensure that adequate opportunities are made available for
full parliamentary scrutiny of agreements made in the GATT negotiations.

Mr. Newton : I have no current plans for a debate on GATT. However,
I will certainly keep the matter under consideration.

Christmas Cards

Mr. Bayley : To ask the Lord President of the Council how many
official Christmas cards were sent out in 1993 by (a) Ministers, (b) civil
servants and (c) staff of Government agencies working in or to his
Department ; and how much these cards cost (i) to buy, (ii) to post and
(iii) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes.

Mr. Newton : Last year 175 Christmas cards were sent out by me and
63 were issued by my private office at a cost, including second class
postage, of approximately £312. It is not possible to ascertain the
staff costs involved.

European Works Councils

Mr. Jenkin : To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to
his answer of 18 April, Official Report, column 371, about scrutiny of
activities of countries of the European Community, what official debate
there has been on the proposed EC Council directive on mechanisms for
informing and consulting employees in Community-scale undertakings or
groups of undertakings prior to the Social Affairs Council of 19 April ;
and what draft reports have been available to hon. and right hon. Members.

Mr. Newton : The European Commission's proposal for the
establishment of European Works Councils--

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Council document reference 4466/91--was
debated in European Standing Committee B on 3 July 1991. Both it and the
subsequent amended proposal--Council document reference 8319/91--have been
the subject of explanatory memoranda by the Department of Employment as
follows : 4466/91 : Explanatory memoranda dated 4 February and6 March 1991
;

The Commission informed the Council on 19 April of its intention to table a
revised version of the proposal under the agreement on social policy
concluded between 11 member states. The revised proposal will not apply in
the United Kingdom.

Former Members

Mr. Meale : To ask the Lord President of the Council (1) if he will
list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been
appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding
appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the
post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment ;

(2) if he will list the names of all former British representative members
in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-
autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as
justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any
salary payable and the duration of the appointment ;

(3) if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of
the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-
autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as

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justices of the peace, giving in each case
the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the
appointment ;

(4) if he will list the names of all living former hon. Members of this
House since 1964, giving their seats by region.

Mr. Newton : I regret this information is not available in an easily
accessible form and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Executive Agencies

Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he
will list for each of the "next steps" agencies now in operation and for
each such agency due to come into operation for which the relevant
information is available, (a) its chairman or chairwoman, (b) its chief
executive and (c) other directors, executives and officers ; and if he will
set out the annual salary and emoluments for each, together with the cost
to public funds, and number of employees, of each agency.

Mr. Waldegrave : There are 96 agencies and the name of the chief
executive and the number of staff, as at 1 October 1993, of each is set out
in the table. There are a further 56 agency candidates and four chief
executives-designate have been appointed, who are also listed.

There are no chairmen or chairwomen ; chief executives normally report
directly to the responsible Minister. Information on the salaries and
emoluments of chief executives and officers and the cost to public funds is
not held centrally but can be obtained from the annual reports and accounts
of each agency, which are available in the Library of the House. Some of
the information will also be available in departmental annual expenditure
reports.

Parliamentary Accountability

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what
plans he has to improve the accountability to Parliament of quangos and
executive agencies.

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Mr. Waldegrave : Non-departmental public bodies, formerly called
quangos, are fully accountable for the use of public funds. All executive
NDPBs publish an annual report and accounts which enable Parliament, the
taxpayer and customers to judge whether that NDPB is securing value for
money. The National Audit Office, which reports to Parliament, is either
the auditor of, or has inspection rights to, all executive NDPBs. The
Public Accounts Committee scrutinises the activities of NDPBs closely and
may summon the chief executive to give evidence, if necessary.

The Government are committed to applying citizens charter principles to
NDPBs and to encouraging executive NDPBs to prepare management statements,
as a means of clarifying respective roles and responsibilities. The
Government also want to see increasing emphasis placed on the use of
performance targets covering financial performance, quality of service and
efficiency ; and publication of how those targets have been met.

Executive agencies are units within Government which were set up as a
result of the "next steps" initiative. All staff in executive agencies are
civil servants, or military personnel in defence agencies. They are
accountable to Ministers, and through them to Parliament, in the same way
as all other civil servants in Departments.

The "next steps" initiative has increased the accountability of whole areas
of civil service work, through greater openness and clearer lines of
responsibility. The Minister responsible sets each agency a number of
annual targets covering efficiency, effectiveness and service to customers.
Its performance is monitored by Ministers, and full details are reported to
Parliament and published in its annual report and accounts. Agency chief
executives may be called before the PAC and other Select Committees to
account for the discharge of their responsibilities. However, the main line
of accountability remains to the Minister, who is in turn accountable to
Parliament.

Privatisation (Consultants)

Mr. Milburn : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he
will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with
privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged.

Mr. Waldegrave : There has been no such expenditure by the Office of
Public Service and Science.

DEFENCE

Nuclear Material (Transport by Rail)

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if British
Transport Police are informed of the movement by rail of nuclear warheads
and nuclear material ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hanley : The British Transport police are informed whenever
nuclear submarine fuel cores are transported by rail. Rail transport is not
used for the movement of our nuclear warheads.

HMS Unseen

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long HMS
Unseen and her sister submarine have been in active service ; when it is
planned to withdraw

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them from service ; what has been the cost
to his Department of maintaining these vessels to date ; and if he will
make a statement.

Mr. Hanley : The four Upholder class submarines were accepted by the
Royal Navy from builders on the following dates :

HMS Upholder--6 December 1990

HMS Unseen--19 July 1991

HMS Ursula--2 June 1992

HMS Unicorn--23 July 1993

HMS Unseen and HMS Upholder were withdrawn from service on 6 April and 28
April 1994 respectively. Although it is not our practice to reveal the
planned pay-off dates of individual vessels, we have previously made clear
that the entire class will be withdrawn by 1995.

The cost incurred in maintaining the vessels of the Upholder class since
their acceptance from builders has been approximately £2,690, 000.

Naval Exercises (English Channel)

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which area
of the English channel was closed to traffic on 5 and 6 April due to a Sea
Wolf missile failing to explode during a Royal Navy exercise.

Mr. Hanley : On 5 April, HMS Brazen was conducting routine training
off Portland Bill, Dorset, which involved firing Sea Wolf missiles. Due to
a minor technical malfunction, one missile veered off its intended course
and fell into the sea. As a purely precautionary measure, the Portland
naval authorities alerted HM Coastguard. A safety broadcast, advising
shipping to avoid a 2-mile radius around the point where the missile fell
into the sea, was issued immediately. Once it became clear that there was
no risk to traffic in the area, HM Coastguard was advised and the safety
broadcast was cancelled. The Sea Wolf is a fragile missile which travels at
high speed and would almost certainly have disintegrated on impact with the
sea.

Recruitment

Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many
military recruiting establishments are currently operating throughout the
United Kingdom ; how many of these lie in Scotland ; how many recruits have
been recruited through these facilities ; what plans he has to rationalise
these facilities ; and what is the annual cost of operating these
facilities.

Mr. Hanley : At present, there are 251 service careers information
offices in the United Kingdom. Of these, 31 are located in Scotland. In the
financial year 1993-94, 10,494 personnel were recruited, of whom, 1,117
were recruited in Scotland. These recruiting figures reflect reduced
targets as a result of the force restructuring under "Options for Change".
The operating costs of the CIOs totalled £45, 090,000 in financial
year 1993-94, of which £5,320,000 related to the offices in Scotland.

It is our policy to collocate CIOs in bi-service or tri-service premises
wherever practicable and cost-effective. Many CIOs are already collocated
and future requirements are kept under regular review. In addition,
recruitment arrangements are being considered as part of the "Defence Costs
Study".

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South African National Defence Force

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what
role his military representatives will play in the integration of the new
national defence force in South Africa ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hanley : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to an
identical question on 27 April, Official Report, column 227 .

Market Testing

Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sections
of his Department he plans to make the subject of market testing.

Mr. Aitken : The Department intends to pursue vigorously market
testing opportunities across the whole range of defence support activities
with the aim of maximising value for money for the defence budget. The
"Defence Costs Study" will, however, have a significant influence on the
scale of the future programme and decisions on future plans will therefore
be taken in the light of the outcome of the study.

Bosnia

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many
troops there are currently on active service in Bosnia ; and if he will
make a statement.

Mr. Hanley : There are currently some 3,500 British service
personnel deployed on the ground in Bosnia and Croatia in support of United
Nations peacekeeping operations. In addition, there are some 3,000 service
personnel deployed offshore and in Italy in support of operations in the
region.

Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many
British aircraft there are in use in Bosnia ; and if he will make a
statement.

Mr. Hanley : There are currently 33 British aircraft, both rotary
and fixed wing, deployed in the Adriatic theatre in support of United
Nations and NATO operations in the former Yugoslavia.

Royal Devonport Dockyard

Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the
total amount paid to consultants byhis Department for work concerned with
the privatisation of HM Royal Devonport dockyard.

Mr. Aitken : Since October, when my right hon. and learned Friend
announced our policy towards the future management of the royal dockyards,
Official Report, 18 October 1993, columns 39-41, total expenditure of some
£2 million has been incurred in the use of specialist consultants for
work related to the proposed privatisation of the royal dockyards. Costs
attributable to Devonport cannot be separately identified.

Privatisation (Consultants)

Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will
estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with privatisation
programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1980.

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Mr. Aitken : The only privatisation programme for which information
on the use of consultants can be made available without disproportionate
cost and effort is that in connection with the proposed privatisation of
the royal dockyards at Devonport and Rosyth, about which my right hon. and
learned Friend made an announcement on 18 October last, Official Report,
columns 39-41. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today to
the hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Mr. Jamieson).

Defence Budget

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is
the reason for the removal from the defence budget from 1994-95 of the
financial provisions for the security and intelligence services, as set out
in note one to figure 10 of paragraph 502 of the "Statement on the Defence
Estimates 1994", Cm. 2550.

Mr. Hanley : As foreshadowed by the answer given by my right hon.
Friend the Prime Minister to my hon. Friend the Member for Somerton and
Frome (Mr. Robinson) on 24 November 1993, Official Report, column 52,
expenditure on the security and intelligence services has been brought
together into a single Cabinet Office vote from 1994-95--class XIX, vote 2.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bosnia

17. Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Mr. Slobodan
Milosevic regarding Bosnia.

Mr. Hurd : I have not met President Milosevic since the European
Union Foreign Ministers' meeting with the parties in November 1993. My
right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs is meeting President Milosevic in Belgrade today.

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs what offers he has made to international relief
agencies to treat casualties of the Bosnian war in British hospitals.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have told the International Organisation for
Migration, which is responsible for the placement abroad of patients from
Bosnia, that we will consider applications on a case-by-case basis. After
the recent events in Gorazde, we exceptionally agreed to take up to 50 of
those wounded by the shelling.

Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs what information is available from the International
Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other United
Nations sources about the number of people who require major medical
attention which, because of the war, cannot be met within Bosnia.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees medical committee has to date identified 763
patients in need of medical treatment unavailable in Bosnia. Of these, 626
patients have already been evacuated, 41 have places abroad and are waiting
to travel, and 96 are awaiting placement.

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Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs what requests are being made by the Red Cross and the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for medical attention to the
wounded from the war in Bosnia ; and what representations they have made
about the adequacy of the international response when those wounded people
cannot be treated in Bosnia.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : Both the United Nations and the International
Committee of the Red Cross have issued appeals for their operations in the
former Yugoslavia, which include provision for medical supplies and health
care. The International Organisation for Migration appealed to Governments
in August 1993 for offers of hospital places for patients from the former
Yugoslavia who could not be treated locally. As a result, 2,277 places were
offered by 33 countries.